


another side of the mirror

by IonicCompound



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Drunken Confessions, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Insecurity, Intrusive Thoughts, Mild Sexual Content, Possessive Behavior, it's really mild
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 09:41:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30053523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IonicCompound/pseuds/IonicCompound
Summary: It's Kazunari's 20th birthday, and you're not here to celebrate with him. You've explained yourself, and he gets it! You couldn't clear your schedule for that day, and you did what you could.That doesn't mean he'll be any less upset about it, though.But luckily, you make it up to him by the end of his birthday.
Relationships: Miyoshi Kazunari/Reader
Kudos: 14





	another side of the mirror

Kazunari’s birthday this year was a little bit different than it had been in the past. 

As a kid, there wasn’t really an opportunity to invite friends from school, seeing how he wasn’t close to his classmates. Plus, it was in the middle of the summer break, meaning he would have to go out of his way to invite people who were supposed to remember.

Well, that doesn’t really matter anymore! This year, Kazunari got to spend it with both his University friends and MANKAI Company, so he’s doubly booked for the day!

The Summer Troupe were downright sickenly sweet Kazunari thought he'd get cavities. Muku had been the first to congratulate him, waiting until midnight before promptly falling asleep like the sweetheart he is. Yuki and Misumi had given him his present that morning. Yuki had been huffy about him making a big deal of his birthday but still following through while Misumi gave him a bedazzled phone case with his signature triangles. They were both being very on-brand of themselves, and he honestly couldn’t have asked for more.

But he did anyway, and that came in the forms of bear hugs. Yuki’s attempts to shove Kazunari off were unsuccessful and eventually allowed him to cling to the teen for a bit. Misumi graciously allowed himself to be pulled off his feet and twirled in the air, up until they both collapsed onto the floor in a puddle of laughter.

Tenma handed his gift later, mumbling that he didn’t really know what to get him. He was so cute at that moment it almost didn’t matter if the teen gave him a golden spoon because he mentioned offhandedly that it’d be nice to be born with a golden spoon.

Kazunari almost had a stroke on the spot, but Yuki beat him to the punch and forced Tenma to recollect his gift.

He spent the day with MANKAI, eating cake and doing MANKAI things until his heart was full. He’s a little sad he can’t see you, but your night shift clashes with when they’re supposed to go bar hopping, so he’ll just bear with it.

When the sun had set, he was off with his university friends to his first official night out. They had told him to keep his night schedule clear that day, so he, unfortunately, had to decline Azuma’s private wine tasting session. 

“Definitely sometime in the future!” Kazunari promised, leading the older man to chuckle and waved him away for his friends to snatch him away.

Now that Kazunari could legally hold his liquor, he wisely spent that time getting hammered. 

It wasn’t until the third bar they got kicked out of until he felt dizzy enough to have him sway on his feet despite it definitely not being his first time. Although he took comfort in the fact that his friends were in a similar state as him.

Mikorin had to call a cab when it turned out Kazunari could barely see straight. It was short of a miracle he somehow managed to get from the bars to home. 

Except he’s not in the dorms. 

His mind is still fuzzy on the edges, but he tries to sober up when he finds himself lying on a couch that is offensively more comfortable than the one in the dorms. His mind begins to run through all the possibilities of where Mikorin could have dumped his body until his eyes adjusted to the darkness. It lands on a certain smudge on the ceiling, looking suspiciously like the scorch-marks of the time he tried to make pancakes at your place. 

“Oh, you’re awake.” Kazunari turns his head, and unexpectedly, you're there. “Someone from the dorm called. I picked up and explained the situation. I hope that’s cool with you.” The sound of something—a cup he realizes—clinks against the table. Kazunari turns his head to see you sitting on the arm of the couch instead of the plush seat he's taking up. “Here, some water. You’ll thank me for it tomorrow.”

“How am I here?” Kazunari accepts the cup but also doesn’t sit up or else he’ll feel his head swim in more confusion. He could have sworn they had set the destination to the dorm.

“Apparently, you were complaining in the cab.” An impish smile blooms on your face. “Hold on, Mikorin sent me a video.”

You fiddle with the phone for a bit before pulling up a video, turning the screen towards him so he can see the monstrosity play out before him.

 _“Isn’t that so unfair?”_ He sees himself whine, leaning against the car window and pointedly not facing the camera. There’s a buzz in the background, and he can see that this is what was supposed to be the car ride back home. Kazunari wishes the drinks are still hitting him because the cold sweat building from watching himself shit talk you to your face is practically _unbearable_. “ _I_ _t’s my birthday, but they didn’t even see me today!”_

 _“Didn’t you say that it was okay?”_ He did. He also distinctly remembers that you were extremely apologetic for not being able to make it. Mikorin brings this up like the traitor he is. He’s not in the frame, but Kazunari can clearly imagine the shit-eating grin that must be splitting his face like the hell riser he is.

_“Well, it’s not!”_

The video continues one like that for a bit, but it’s not registering in Kazunari’s mind because he’s trying to plan damage control. So you don’t break up with his sorry ass for being a dick. 

“Oh my god, I am so sorry,” he starts the moment the video ends. “I know you said you’d make it up to me, but I guess I was a little upset that you were busy. Not that it’s your fault! I know that you tried!”

“Kazunari, it’s fine. I’m actually glad you swung by. I really wanted to see you.”

His heart fills up quickly, and Kazunari tries to squash his affections when he finally rises from the couch. “Thank you so much. I’m sorry for coming when it’s so late. I’ll contact someone, so I'll be out of your hair soon.”

Your eyebrows quirk up like he’s the weird one for trying to make up for the fact that he busted into your house uninvited. “Kazunari, it’s no problem. This isn’t the first time I’ve had someone crash my place like this. Besides,” you let out an airy laugh, moving from the armrest to next to him on the couch. He can feel your thighs touching and desperately tries not to show how flustered he feels on his face, but your Cheshire Cat smile tells him that his attempt is a failure. “It’s pretty fun to see you like this.”

Oh man, oh boy. All coherency evaporates from Kazunari's mind like boiling water. His previous worries fly along with it, and the only thing he can think about is how he really misses you and how he wants you to sit on his lap. 

“Fun?” Kazunari repeats weakly. 

“Yeah, you were talking really formally since stepping through my door. It was kind of surprising.”

“O-oh, yeah?” Kazunari stutters out, internally cringing. God, showing one of the lamest parts of himself to you? While drunk? This is a new low for him. And he sat in the middle of the dorm with a sign hanging around his neck that said “I WILL NOT EAT OTHER'S FOOD,” for snatching Sakyo’s yogurt. 

“Yeah.” Kazunari jumps when you lean in closer until you're all he sees. “It’s kind of nice, seeing your different sides.”

His different sides. That’s what you called it. Not him trying to deceive you with a flashy personality. Not him spouting nonsense under the guise of inebriation. Just another part of him that you have yet to meet.

Kazunari isn’t sure if he’s the one to close the gap or if it was you, but the distance between the two of you seems far too big for his liking. He feels your hands glide onto his shoulders, steadying him from just dangling off of you.

“You’re amazing,” he breathes out, letting his eyes flutter close once his lips meet yours. 

It’s not like their usual kisses, full of energy and spunk from whenever he was feeling affectionate or whenever you felt fond enough with his stupid antics. You’d pepper his face lightly, leaving him to feel a little bit more lovestruck than what may be appropriate for this stage of your relationship. It’s slow and sensual, enough to have his toes curl with want. Kazunari's hand immediately flies to your head, pulling you closer so he can feel _more_. 

He shivers when your hands wander, running across both his shoulder and legs, stomach tightening when he feels you tracing a pattern on his inner thigh. He can’t quite make the shape, but he tries to return the favor, bringing both hands to your jawline to deepen the kiss.

When he breaks the kiss, he finds himself on top of you somehow, which in itself is a sight. With the addition of you squirm underneath him, flushing a pretty shade, he wishes he could burn into his memory. Maybe if Kazunari was more willing to let go, he’d grab his phone and take a quick snap, intimate and comfortable in his arms. And if you'd allow it, he would paint this moment so the affection he feels would have another physical form.

When you continue shifting, he fears that you’ll try to break out of his grasp, leaving him cold and alone. Wiggling your arms free, they wrap themselves around him and shift your positions until it feels more comfortable than before. It feels as if he could melt into you, and just that feeling alone leaves Kazunari wondering if he's just going to implode with tenderness. He tries to snuggle closer, prompting a small giggle from you, and it does nothing to quell the desire to fill his senses with nothing but you.

Your smell, your smile, your _warmth,_ he wants to engrave it into his memory in place of missed fun.

Kazunari truly means the compliment with more sincerity than he’d ever let you know. He likes to believe the two of you fit together like you were the missing puzzle piece. One he could never quite find in his quest to piece his personality together. There aren’t many who leave him feeling as bare as he currently does, where he knows you won’t shape the rawest parts of his soul. He gives you the pieces to put together. That he’s not nearly as cheery as he is making himself out to be. And you accept it, all the same, keeping his secrets and blubbering close to your chest.

Kazunari _loves_ that. That you won’t pry the information from his hands, that you’ll listen to his worries, even prompting him to go on despite how much of a bother it might be to hear him ramble on. He loves that you don’t push when he won’t give any more, even though he _knows_ that it hurts to shut you out when he’s there to listen to all of your troubles. And as shitty as that is, he also loves how you get hurt on his behalf, proving to him that you’re willing to love him just as quietly as he does loudly. He lovelove _lovesyousomuch—_

“I love you too.”

He freezes. Kazunari scrambles to untangle himself from you in an attempt to recollect whatever self-restraint he can muster.

“I, uh,” he chuckles nervously. “I wanted it to be more special than that.”

Really, he had a whole plan too. He wanted to drop the big L-bomb at a particularly romantic café he had his eyes on for a while. He had planned on making reservations when your first anniversary, so the date or confession wouldn’t feel too out of place.

“There’s really no need.” You don't sound too upset. You just lean close, giving a small peck on the lips, blowing all the air in his lungs away. “I just want to spend time with you. Adventures are fun, but I enjoy a good movie night on the couch too.”

He knows. Kazunari has always been the more adventurous one of the two of you. Actively picking the date spots or just dragging you straight from class to check out a place he saw on Instablam. You were always tasteful about it, humoring him by going along with his whims. Or sometimes, shooting him down because you had a previous arrangement. He had made sure to check after the first time you rejected him, and he’d like to think that you appreciated it.

Still, even if you didn’t particularly want a fancy date, it’s something that you _deserve._ You always wanted so little, and sometimes, it makes him anxious. It’s partially performative, but you never truly call him out for it. And he _knows_ that you know, from the way you always try for smaller activities in the comforts of your own home. Or when he suggests something grandiose as a joke, and you give him a smile that doesn't reach your eyes, and it makes him want to rip out his insincere heart because why is he always so—

Like now, how he’s being a big baby about you not bar-hopping with him, but you’re laughing it off. Saying how you just want to spend the day with him. Makes him feel scummy, for always wanting more when you’re content with whatever comes your way.

So Kazunari feels irresistibly greedy when you pull him into your arms, head dropping into your sternum without any resistance. Your hands leave his hips to travel up his arm, feathery touches leaving goosebumps in their wake. He can’t help the shaky moan when you delicately brush against his nape. 

It’s a little silly how worked up he’s getting. When you haven’t done particularly much, but his stomach knots as your hand tangles themselves in his hair. You gingerly play with the ends before making your way up to the base of his head and gently untangle whatever knots may be there. 

He wonders if you can feel the staccato his heart is playing. Maybe not, considering he’s made himself home next to your own heart, beating steadily and soundly, unlike his own.

“Kazunari?”

This is his cue to look up and reply, but he doesn’t have his usual composure. If he looks now, he’s sure you’ll see everything he’s trying to keep hidden. You’ve always been in tune with his need as well as he does with you. If he just stays like this, letting the warmth of the alcohol and your side fill him fully. So instead of responding, he tightens his grip on your midsection and lets himself bury his head deeper into your chest. 

For a moment, he’s scared that you’ll shove him off for being too clingy since the petting stopped as well. He’s sure that his heart would pop from suspense until you tap on his side, a signal for him to let go. 

It feels as if you denied him the comfort he doesn’t deserve. Still, he slowly rises from the comforts of your lap and hangs his head.

“Kazunari, look at me.”

It takes a great effort to do so, and he only sees your eyes devoid of the anger he expected.

“I can stop if this is uncomfortable.”

“ _No!_ ” You flinch from his loud voice, and he forces himself to take it down a few notches. “I mean, I’m totally okay with this!”

You laugh. “I think we should stop here. Otherwise, I might have a little more fun tonight.”

"I don't mind," he blurts out. The back of his mind is yelling at him to put a brake on it, but he just wants you to keep touching him because he'll go crazy if you stop. 

Then the doorbell rings.

"Well, if you still feel that way tomorrow, then maybe we can see each other then." You gently removing yourself from his arms. "Since it looks like your ride is here."

It only takes Kazunari 2 seconds to process your words before he scrambles to his feet and bolts to the door, zooming past you as he does. He doesn't see your shock and instead turns his attention to the chained lock on your door. It takes him a fat minute to open it, but when he does, he's faced with a very amused Itaru.

"I'mstayinghereforthenightokaycoolthanksbrobye!" And promptly slams the door.

He'll have to apologize to Itaru later, but right now, Kazunari _really_ wants to kiss you again. Preferably in your bedroom.

**Author's Note:**

> this has been sitting in my drafts since his birthday and I'm tired so just take it


End file.
